'I definitely don't feel comfortable' - Lee Carsley speaks on England interim position after Finland win
ByOli Gent
Published 10/09/2024 at 23:24 GMT+1
Lee Carsley has said that he still feels out of his comfort zone as England manager despite leading the Three Lions to two straight victories in his first two games in interim charge. The under-21's manager has made the same leap as Gareth Southgate before him to take control of the senior side, and he has led England to two 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland in the UEFA Nations League.
Not singing national anthem ‘does not make me any less committed’ says Carsley
Video credit: SNTV
Lee Carsley admitted that he still does not feel “comfortable” in the role of England manager despite leading the Three Lions to two wins in his first two games.
Carsley, currently in interim charge following Gareth Southgate’s departure, has overseen victories over Ireland and Finland in England’s opening Nations League games, both with 2-0 scorelines.
The Three Lions beat Finland comfortably at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening, with Harry Kane netting a brace to celebrate his 100th international cap in the perfect way.
Carsley has made the same jump that Southgate did, previously managing the under-21s side before taking the leap into the senior hot seat, although the former Everton and Birmingham City midfielder won the European Championships last year, beating Spain 1-0 in the final thanks to Curtis Jones’ winner.
However, Carsley, who has only managed at senior level for short spells, has said that he still does not feel fully at ease being England manager.
“I definitely don’t feel comfortable [in the role],” Carsley told ITV after the Finland win.
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“I’ve definitely been out of my comfort zone this international window. It’s been enjoyable but I’ve had to make sure that every single day I’m producing really high standards along with the rest of the staff.
“We try and do as good a job as we can and we’ve been fortunate to get two good results, and it’s about building on that now."
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who struggled to find his best form under Southgate on the international stage, shone in a “different position”, which Carsley highlighted.
“We played Trent in a bit of a different position tonight along with Rico [Lewis], who also was excellent,” Carsley explained.
"You’ve seen from Trent an array of passing and the ability to control the game from a deeper area and get into forward areas as well. It’s not a surprise seeing Trent do that for Liverpool this season and throughout his career.”
Meanwhile, two-goal hero Kane spoke of his “hunger” to keep scoring goals for England despite facing criticism during Euro 2024.
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Kane 'inspired' by Ronaldo ahead of earning 100th England cap
Video credit: SNTV
“It was a big night for me,” Kane said.
“Obviously proud to reach the 100 caps; there was a lot of talk about it. You know what I’m like; I want to score and help the team. It was great to be able to do that today. Whenever you’re doubted throughout your career, it makes you more hungry and determined to prove people wrong and prove to yourself that you can still play at a high level.
“I always back myself to score goals, especially in a team like this creating the chances that we do. I’m excited for the future.”
The interim manager and his star striker exchanged words about each other in their post-match interviews.
“I thought he took his two goals really well,” Carsley said of Kane.
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Harry Kane
Image credit: Getty Images
“It was a big occasion for him. His kids and his wife were here; an emotional bit, I would imagine. Really happy for Harry. The way he’s conducted himself this week and I would imagine every time he’s been with England fully deserves all the plaudits he’s going to get.
“What I’ve noticed with him this week is that he’s highly motivated to play for England and to score goals. To have a centre forward like that that’s scored as many as he has, hopefully that continues.”
Kane said of Carsley: “He’s come with a great energy.
“He talks a lot about freedom and playing with your best attributes, attacking and hurting the other team without the ball; suffocating teams. We’ve done that well in the two games.
“Of course, there’s room for improvement, but it’s a good start for him and it’s been great to work with him.”
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